Ironing-machine



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. A. T. HAGEN.

IRONING MACHINE.

No. 424,976. Patented Apr. 8, 1890.

WITNEEEES- dwg ATT RN Y (No Model. y 3 Sheet-Sheet 2. A. T. HAGEN.

IRONING MACHINE.

No. 424,976. Padwnt ed Apr. 8, 1890.

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. A. T. HAG-EN.

IRONING MACHINE.

No. 424,976. Patented Apr. 8, 1890;,

UNITED STATES ArnNr .rricn.

ARTHUR T. HAGEN, OF ROCHESTER, NEIV YORK.

lRONlNG-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 424,976, dated April 8, 1890.

Application filed May 4, 1889. Serial No. 309,651. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR T. HAGEN, of the city of Rochester, county of Monroe, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ironing-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to letters of reference marked thereon.

My present invention relates to ironingmachines, and particularly to that class employed for ironing shirt-bosoms, and in which the shirt or other article being ironed is moved back and forth beneath a heated ironing-roller, though portions of my invention could as well be'employed on other kind-s.

ith the objects in View therefore of providing a machine capable of ironing shirts and similararticles in the best manner, my invention consists in certain novelties of construction and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter fully described, and the novel features pointed out particularly in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a machine constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2, a cross-sectional view of the same through the ironing-roller, the carriage being shown beneath it; Fig. 3, a longitudinal sectional view with the carriage toward the front. Fig. 4tis a similar view with the carriage toward rear, looking toward the other side. Fig. 5 is a view showing the arrangement of the devices by which the carriage-propelling roller is op-.

erated; Fig. 6, a perspective view of the rear side of the carriage, showing the lifting device and the manner of operating it; Fig. '7, a sectional View on the line mooof Fig. 5; Fig. 8, a sectional view on the line y y of Fi 5; Fig. 9, a view of a modification. Fig. 10 is a view of a modification of the work-lifting device.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures indicate similar parts.

The main frame of the machine is constructed of the side portions A A, connected at the base by suitable connecting pieces or bars B B at front and rear, respectively, and at the top by a connecting piece O, in

The roller D is of the usual construction,-

provided at one end with fast and loose pulleys D D as shown, and at the other with a gear-wheel E, from which the carriage is driven, this end of the roller being hollow, as usual, and the gas-jet pipe E entering and serving to heat it, gas and air being delivered through the pipes c c in sufficient quantity, regulated by cocks e, as shown in Fig. 1.

Between the side portions of the mainframe is arranged a frame or yoke F, consisting of two longitudinally extending pieces F F, connected at the rear end by a cross-piece F said frame being pivoted to the inner sides of side pieces A A by means of bolts g g, this pivotal point being preferably in front of the ironingroller, as shown. The rear of the yoke is supported upon a spring G, which lat ter encircles the rod G, secured to cross-bar B, and rests upon an adjustable nut or wheel h, screwed on said rod, upward movement being prevented by a second nut or wheel 7L, arranged 011 the rod above cross-piece F At the sides of this pivoted yoke or frame, and preferably slightly to the rear of the ironingroller, are suitable hearings, in which is j ournaled a roller H, preferably hollow, as shown, this roller being adapted when the frame F is tilted on its pivot to move nearer to or farther from the ironing-roller D, so that the carriage carrying the ironing-board, which is driven by the former and passes between the rollers, will be held with greateror less pressure against the ironing-roller, the maximum pressure being that exerted by spring G.

As a means for driving roller H, and at the same time permitting the necessary movements of the frame on which it is mounted, I make said roller hollow and extend through it a shaft J, one end being attached to one end of the roller by a pin j, passing througha perforation in the shaft and secured to the roller, and the other end of the shaft being mounted in a stationary bearing J, secured to a cross-bar or casting K on themain frame.

Suliicient play is allowed the shaft end in the a roller to permit the slight vertical movements of the latter caused by the raising of the :frame F, and these movements are so slight that they will not materially affect the align ment of the shaft, asl have found in practice.

Upon the outer end of the shaft is secured a pulley ll), having a rim L toward. the main frame, with which the driving and reversing mechanism engages.

Projecting from the side A of the frame is a stud M, upon the outer portion of which is journaled a gear M, meshing with gear E on the ironing-roller and driven therefrom, and upon the stud and between this gear and the frame is a hanger or casting N, provided with two depending arms N N on which are studs or screws N N, and upon these studsare journaied small wheels() 0. These wheels or rollers are arranged with gearteeth 0 0 on their inner sides, while their outer portions are extended somewhat beneath the rim L of wheel L, and are preferably covered with leather or some'similar material p, affording a good frictional contact when engaged with the rim, and their gear-teeth are in engagement with each other, so that they will be operated in opposite d irections.

The gear 0 on arm N meshes with the gear M, and as the hanger moves on the same center as the last-mentioned gear it will remain in engagement when the casting oscillated; and the said arm N is further provided with an extended arm or lug q, to which is connected one end of a rod P, the other end being connected to an arm Q on a shaft R, journaled in the lower portion of the main frame and provided with an operating-treadle R.

An adjustable nut r is provided on the rod P, between which and a lug r on the crossbar K is arranged a spring l, operating to press said rod downward, and thus turn the hanger N in a direction to keep wheel 0 in normal engagement with rim L of wheel ill. The directions of movement of all. the gears are indicated by the arrows in Fig. .1, the rollers O 0 being rotated in opposite directions, and by reason of the emineetion shown the normal direction of rotation of the shaft J and roller ll will be opposite that of the ironing-roller I), though their surface speed will be different.

S represents the traveling work support or carriage, (mounted on the ways ff and frietion-rollers f f on the upper side of frame 1 consisting of a base plate or board S, having guards or flanges S S at the sides, and provided at the center with a standard S, on which the bosom-board S is placed. This board is substantially the width of; the operating-surface of the ironing-rollca ii), and is raised, and the flanges provided at the side of the carriage, so that there will be no liability of the garments coming in contact with the operating parts of the machine, and snt iicient room will be provided for the operators adjusting the garment by pulling it sidewise or otherwise withoutdangcr of being injured.

\Vhen the frame F is in normal position,

resting on the spring G, which latter holds it against; nut h, and the carriage is in the po sition shown in Figs. .1. and 3, the space between rollers l) and ii is slightly less than the distance between the top of the ironingboard and the bottom of board S, and the operator now places the shirt or other garment on the carriage with the bosom on the board .8" and the neck-yoke over the end thereof next the iron ing-roller, and then pressing with his body against. the carriage forces it back until the roller ll engages it and carries it back beneath the roller If), the latter moving at greater surface speed than the article and ironing it out smooth, and the spring G serving to hold the board S and the shirt thereon lightly against it. When the carriage has traveled far enough beneath the ironing-roller and the operator wishes to re turn it to forward position again, he presses upon foot-lever It, carrying roller 0 out of contact with rim IQ of wheel L and bringing into contact; roller 0, which is moving in the opposite direction. This will of course re verse the movement of roller 11' and the carriage will. travel toward the front again, the motion of the ironing-r(. ller, however, eontinuing the same. 'lhese reversals of the movement oi. the carriage can by the meehanism shown be accomplished very quickly, and the operator can by a little practice nianipulate the treadle so that any portion of the garment can be ironed in both directions very rapidly, as when a certain spot has to he dampened to remove small wrinkles, as frequently happens. 1

During all these reversals of movement to which the carriage is subjeettal the spring (it holds the frame 1: raised and keeps the garment in contact with the ironing-roller; but, as before stated, it is desirable to relieve the pressure somewhat, though not necessarily to remove it entirely when the carriage is moved in a direction opposite to the movement of the ironingroller, in order to prevent the formation of small wrinkles in the garment, and this I accomplish in the present machine by attaching to the frame F a rod '1, .idiustably connected to a lever 'l", pivoted at the rear of the machine and extending out and in proximity to the reversing footlever it. l iy pressing 011 this leverthe frame F will be moved down against the tensionv of a spring (i and the pressure with which the garment bears against; the ironing-roller regulated, as may be necessary, and, as be fore stated, as it is desirable that this pressure be reduced when the carriage is traveling toward the front, I arrange theloot-lever 'l" in such n'oximity to reversing-lever R that the operator can operate them both at the same time, if desired. Thus with the parts in normal position the carriage will be moved beneath the moving roller and held against it by maximum pressure when moving in the same direction; but, when desired to reverse the movement of the carriage, the

lever B must be pressed, and it is usually desirable that the pressure between the work and iron should be relieved at the same time, and by thus arranging the foot-levers close together the operator can with one foot cause both operations, or he can operate the reversing-lever only, leaving the pressure the same.

As it is usually desirable that the reversal of movement and release of pressure be simultaneous, I prefer in some instances to connect the reversing-lever R with the pressure-releasing lever T, as in Fig. 9, a link r forming the connection, so that they will be operated together.

It is desirable to lift the garment being ironed from the board after the iron has been passed over it, and in a machine of this description the portion of the shirt-bosom toward the operator, preferably'the lower end, is accessible and can be manipulated by him; but the portion toward theironing-roller cannot well be reached when the end of the board is beyond the ironing-roller; and as one means of accomplishing this result I employ the following arrangement of devices At the rear end of the carriage is provided a plate U, having perforated arms U U, in which is journaled a small rock-shaft V, having an arm V thereon, to which is pivoted a rod V sliding in a guide-plate o, and having 'on its upper end a cross-rod V constituting a work-lifter, arranged when in lowermost position to be close to the end of theironingboard, but capable of being raised above said end by a spring V encircling the rock-shaft,

one end of said spring being attached to the said shaft and the other to one of the arms U. The end of said rock-shaft extends outward toward the side A of the frame, where it isprovided with an arm or crank V arranged to co-operate with a rib or flange WV, turned up at the rear end and secured to the frame-side A, all as shown in Fig. 6. The disposition of the rod V is such that when a shirt is placed over the board S with the bosom on the latter, the yoke of the shirt will be over the rod in the position of the shoulders of the wearer, and the upward movement of the rod would tend to raise this end of the shirt from the board, as in Fig. 4.

The parts when in normal position with the carriage toward the front are as shown in Figs. 3 and 6, the arm V being beneath the flange W, holding the rod V level or beneath the level of the ironing-board and the spring under tension and the shirt adjusted in position over the rod and board, as will be understood. Every time the carriage moves back so that the end is beyond the ironing-roller, the arm V passes from under the rib W and the spring throws the rod V up, raising this end of the shirt from the board and holding it raised while the arm is out of engagement with the rib, permitting the escape of steam from beneath the bosom, facilitating the drying, and also preventing wrinkling at this end by reason of the bosoms sticking to the board. On the return of the inner end (it the board beneath the roller the arm V will strike the inclined portion of the flange W and rod V be depressed again to the level of the board and will be so held until the carriage passes again to the rear and the I flange and arm are disengaged.

While this feature of lifting the work from the board is particularly adapted to shirtbosom machines, I do not wish to be confined to its application to this class exclusively, as it can as well be applied to any kind; nor is the particular means used for operating this lifter essential, as many other forms could be devised without departing from the spirit of my invention; but I have found by practical use that the arrangements shown are well adapted for the purpose and accomplish the results desired in an admirable manner.

In Fig. 10 is shown amodified arrangement of the lifting device, in which the spring on the rock-shaft V, instead of raising rod V rotates the shaft in the opposite direction, depresses it, and, the arm V being on the opposite side of the shaft, the flange W on the frame operates to positively lift it and raise the fabric from the ironing-board; but this arrangement I do not regard as good as the one described before, as the tendency would be to lift the carriage from the pivoted frame F, and in the present machine I prefer to have the carriage rest loosely upon the frame and be held between rollers II and D during the operation.

I claim as my invention- 1. In an ironing-machine, the combination, with a positivelyrotated ironing roller mounted in stationary bearings, of a pivoted frame having a driving-roller thereon, a worksupport mounted on the frame between the driving and ironing rollers, a spring holding the frame upward with the work against the ironing-roller, and a foot-lever independent of the driving mechanism, connected to said frame, adapted to actuate it against the tension of the spring, substantially as described.

2. In an ironing-machine, the combination, with an ironing-roller, of a pivoted frame having a driving-roller thereon, a work-support mounted on the frame between the driving and ironing rollers, a spring holding the frame upward with the work against the ironingroller, a foot-lever connected to said frame, adapted to actuate it against the tension of the spring, a continuously-rotating drivingwheel, a reversing mechanism between said wheel and the support-driving roller, and a foot-lever controlling said reversing mechanism, said two levers being arranged in proximity for simultaneous or independent operation when desired, substantially as described.

3. In an ironing-machine, the combination, with the main frame and an ironing-roller, of a movable frame, a hollow roller mounted in bearings thereon, a driving-shaft mounted near one end in a bearing in the main frame, extending through the roller and having near its opposite end a pin co-operatin g with slots in the inside of said roller, substantially as described, and a work-support arranged be tween the ironing-roller and the drivi rig-roller on the frame, substantially as described.

it. In an ironing-machine, the combination, with an ironing-roller, a driving-roller, and a work-support adapted to be moved by the latter between them, of a friction-wheel connected to the driving-roller, a hanger having two friction-wheels thereon, rotated in opposite directions, a spring operating to hold one of them in normal engagement with the rollerdriving wheel, and a lever connected to the hanger for bringing the other wheel into engagement therewith, substantial] y as described.

5. In an ironing-machine, the combination, with an iron, of a work-support, a work-lifter arranged at or below the level of the support, and a lever connected to said lifter independ ent of the iron for operating it to raise the work from the support, substantially as described.

0. In an ironing-machine, the combination, with an iron and a work-support arranged to move relative to each other, of a work-lifter arranged near one end and at or below the level of the support, arranged to be moved to raise the work by the movements of the support and iron when the lifter is not beneath the latter during the ironing operation, substantially as described.

7. In an ironing-machine, the combination, with an iron, of a reciprocating work-support, a work-lifter thereon arranged to engage and lift the work from the support, and a flange or projection engaging the worlelifter to move it during the reciprocation of the board, substantially as described.

8. In an ironing-machine, the combination, with an iron, of a reciprocating work-support, a work-lifter thereon arranged to engage and lift the work from the support, a spring for moving it in one direction, and a stationary flange or projection for operating it in the other, substantially as described.

9. In an ironing-machine, the combination, with a heated iron, of a reciprocating worksupport, a work-lifting rod or plate, a rockshaft on the support, having two arms, one connected to the worklifter, and a stationary projection or flange with which the other arm engages to operate said work-lifter, substantially as described.

10. In an ironing-machine, the combination, with a heated iron, of a reciprocating worksupport, a work-lifting rod or plate, a rock shaft on the support, having two arms, one connected to the work-lifter,aspring for moving the shaft in one direction,and a stationary projection or flange with which the other arm on the shaft engages to operate said worklifter, substantially as described.

1 l. The combination,with the work-su pport, of the rock-shaft mounted thereon, the worklifter located at one end of the support, and the arm connecting the lifter and shaft for causing the operation of the former by the movement of the latter, substantially as described.

12. In an ironing-machine, the combination, with the main frame and an ironing-roller, of a pivoted frame, a driving-roller mounted in bearings thereon, a spring pressing the frame toward the iron, a wheel connected to the driving-roller, mounted in a stationary bearing, a continuously-rotated gear,a hanger having the two wheels thereon geared together and to the first-mentioned gear, and means, such as a lever, under the control of the operator, for moving one or the other of said wheels into engagement with the firstanentioned wheel, substantially as described.

ARTHUR T. IIAGEN. Witnesses:

FRED F. CHURCH, S. E. TRUE. 

